Development of a Small 5-Axis Micro-Milling Center for Parts Up to 100 mm in Diameter

In this paper, the development of a small 5-axis machine tool (the Microlution 5100-S) for production-level micro-machining applications is presented. This machine is based on the concept that small parts should be manufactured on specially designed small machines, a.k.a. micro-machine tools (mMTs). The performance goals for this development effort were established as follows: ±1 micron linear positioning accuracy, capability to perform simultaneous 5-axis machining on parts up to 100 mm in diameter, maximum acceleration of 2g and a high-speed spindle with a maximum speed between 50,000 and 70,000 RPM. Additionally, this development is directed at addressing the needs of high-volume micro-machining applications. Hence, the machine required the development of a reliable, high-capacity tool-changer and compatibility with many productivity enhancing equipments viz. palette transfer robots and chip conveyors. Lastly the advantages of using this machine for miniature part production are presented with respect to savings in energy, increase in productivity and lowering of floor-space requirements.